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 A proposal to make it easier for Illinoisans to see how the
state spends their tax dollars cleared its first hurdle in Springfield.
House Bill 313, sponsored by state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills,
passed unanimously in the Illinois House of Representatives May 1. The bill,
which would create the Open Illinois Checkbook Act, now advances to the Senate,
where state Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, is the bill’s chief sponsor.
The proposal would require the state comptroller’s office to maintain a publicly
accessible online ledger – the “Open Illinois Checkbook” – that documents all
state expenditures.
 While the comptroller’s current database allows users to break down government
spending by agency and purpose of expenditure, it denies Illinoisans information
about specific spending items and those receiving state funds.
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Under the Open Illinois Checkbook Act, the
comptroller would make public the amount and date of each individual
expenditure and receiving vendor, in addition to information such as
“the State agency making each expenditure, the salaries of each
employee, and, to the extent possible, graphical data.”
The latter would be especially useful for
Illinoisans who don’t have the time to browse litanies of data, and
prefer a more visual presentation of state government spending.
Springfield has a poor record of stewardship over Illinoisans’ tax
dollars. Improving transparency is a necessary step toward holding
state leaders accountable to taxpayers.
In a state where confidence in state government ranks lowest in the
nation, lawmakers would be wise to send HB 313 to the governor’s
desk.
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